Diabetics and nutrition-conscious consumers have fueled the need and desire for sugar-free bakery goods, but the replacement of sugar with sugar-free substitutes and sugar derivatives, such as hydrolyzed starch carbohydrates, in baked goods has been a very formidable task. As pointed out in Frye, et al., Optimizing Texture of Reduced-Calorie Yellow Layer Cakes, Cereal Chemistry, 69(3) pages 338-343, the role of sucrose in cake formulations goes far beyond providing sweetness. Sucrose also retards and restricts gluten formation; increases the temperature of egg protein denaturation and starch gelatinization, contributes to bulk, volume and flavor retention; adds structural integrity; and provides sensory properties, e.g., mouth feel, that have been impossible to replace except by substitution with fruit juices, or other sugar-containing or sugar derivatives-containing materials that include, for example, fructose, dextrose, and the like.
Others have incorporated high potency sugar substitutes, such as aspartame, into frosted coatings, for use on cereal flakes, toaster pastries, confections and sweetened snack foods (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,460). Also, others have included starch hydrolysates as glazings and icings for donuts and cakes, see Murray, NEW STARCH HYDROLYSATES IMPROVE PRODUCT FORMULATION, FOOD ENGINEERING, June 1969, pages 87-90. Further, others have used starch hydrolysates or maltodextrins as bulking agents in cake or batter formulations and/or as a total or partial replacement for sucrose, fat and/or oil (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,872; published European Patent Application 0 191 250 A2; British Patent No. 1,517,158; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,062; 4,780,149; and 4,816,282).
Further, others have proposed, for use in baked goods, a combination of hydroxypropylated starch and a high potency sweetener, such as aspartame, in an attempt to achieve the bulking properties of sugar, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,110,612 and 4,623,549. Other bulking agents for replacement of sucrose include polydextrose, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,233. Polydextrose, however, has been found to leave a bitter aftertaste in baked goods. HYSTAR.RTM. 5875 and/or LYCASIN.RTM. and/or MALTISORB.RTM. P200 (Crystalline Maltitol) are the preferred oligomeric polyol blends used to replace sugar in the baked goods of the present invention. Product information indicates that the material is suitable for foods and many other uses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,379 discloses incorporating HYSTAR.RTM. 5875 in a shampoo formulation.